5 ridiculous console knockoffs you might get for Christmas

This site may earn affiliate commissions from the links on this page. Terms of use.

Neo Double Games

The Neo Double Games, a blatant knockoff of the Nintendo DS, also has a version that’s a knockoff of the DS Lite. Reports have suggested the units have been sold for around $5 to $20, generally in obscure Chinese markets. Supposedly, the unit is very, very light, and the hinges don’t lock and aren’t strong enough to keep the top screen steady. The Double Games runs off three AAA batteries (with the Lite knockoff requiring two AA batteries). The bottom screen is actually just a placeholder, and the weird thing about the handheld is that the games are actually the screens, so if you want to play a game, you have to pop one of the screens into the top slot.

Users that have gotten their hands on one of these units have said the games are very similar to each other, with Soccer and Street Fighter looking and sounding too much alike for how different their names suggest the games would be.

Check out the Neo Double Games in action, and then realize how lucky we all are to have a GameStop around the corner that sells real handhelds.

The Treamcast

Unlike other popular console knockoffs, the Treamcast is actually a somewhat competent unit. The device is something of a modified Dreamcast — made portable with a small, flip-up TFT screen — and comes with two third-party controllers, an IR remote control, an IR receiver for MP3 and VCD playback, and a power cable with a wall and car plug. The unit boasts stereo speakers, and plays NTSC and PAL Dreamcast games, but the output signal is only NTSC.

The Treamcast also plays burned games, which was one of the biggest reasons why the original Dreamcast failed. The console is said to employ some very loud, annoying cooling fans — one in the unit and one in the wall plug — but if you have $170 to blow on what is essentially a portable Dreamcast, it might not be the worst investment you’ve ever made.

So remember, even though Grandma might have gotten you a PX-3600 instead of that PlayStation 3 you wanted for Christmas, she meant well, and inadvertently got you something pretty amusing that’ll provide you with fodder to make some funny YouTube videos. Give her a hug, and don’t let her know the mistake she made.